Connecting Education and Work

States are seeking the best ways to encourage young adults and workers to earn postsecondary credentials that help them advance economically while also meeting employers’ critical skill needs. These efforts focus on creating more flexible pathways through basic skills, job training, and college workforce education. About a dozen states are using sector-specific Career Pathways partnerships as the framework for these efforts. The best state initiatives create access to college and career pathways at different skill levels, accommodate a variety of students, and work closely with employers to ensure that education and training reflect what is valued in the labor market and help lead to family-supporting careers.

Promising state strategies:

Create and support regional, sector-based partnerships among businesses, educational agencies and workforce organizations;

Map career pathways in sectors important to regional economies, then identify and fill education and training gaps in those pathways;

Work with employers to expand opportunities for educational advising services and to integrate work and education;

Align assessments and entry and exit criteria between steps in career pathways programs, customizing the entry and exit criteria to the skills needed for particular pathways;

Adopt policies that facilitate the transfer of students and educational credit (i.e. articulation) between community colleges and other workforce education providers;

Streamline curricula development and approval processes for postsecondary education and training, to keep programs current with business needs;

Embed support for career pathways and bridge programs into relevant workforce development, human services, and career and technical education programs;

Ensure that employer-focused training programs have strong connections to state and local basic skills and postsecondary programs; and

This report provides detailed findings on state policies and community college practice on noncredit workforce education, drawn from interviews with policymakers in all 50 states and case studies of 20 community colleges in ten states. It also offers recommendations for policy and practice.

This analysis is one of the few studies that focuses on the design and implementation of career pathways initiatives geared to low-skilled adults. It provides rich detail on initiatives in three states and describes implications for policy and practice.

This report offers recommendations to state policymakers on supporting career pathways. The report urges state leaders to provide better access to student aid; build programs to support students; make transitions between education levels easier; engage employers with workforce needs; build capacity and financing systems; and measure results.

State Policy Examples

ArkansasArkansas has used Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and other funds to support career pathways initiatives. A February 2008 report describes state progress in developing and implementing local initiatives.

OhioCareer pathways development in Ohio is being led by regional coordinators, with each region focusing on creating four pathways: one in health care, and three others in locally important occupations or industries.

OregonIn 2004 Oregon launched the Pathways to Advancement initiative to ensure that citizens have access to postsecondary education and credentials needed for good jobs with high wages and the potential for advancement. Oregon has a web site with many resources and examples of local initiatives.

VirginiaVirginia has developed a statewide strategic plan for implementing career pathways. A December 2008 report describes roles and responsibilities of state agencies and includes an action plan.

WisconsinThe state is rolling out career pathways and related basic skills bridge programs statewide through a series of grants to local colleges and workforce boards, a detailed definition of career pathways key elements, and a scan of relevant workforce development programs that can potentially support career pathways implementation and sustainability.